Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, folks. RL derailed my fic-writing intentions over the holidays. Thankfully, the season has ended, so we can all get back to the important things in life--like passing the time till this blasted hiatus is over with loads of Lois & Clark fanfic goodness! And we're off... like a herd of wild tortoises...
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Act One: Out of the Frying Pan
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
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"Triple espresso mocha," Clark announced as he passed the steamy beverage to a weary-eyed Lois, who immediately chugged several healthy swallows. Then Clark produced a small white paper bag. "And two maple donuts."
"Not exactly the candlelight dinner you promised me," Lois snarked as she opened the bag.
Naturally, the world's best boyfriend whipped out a little white votive candle and set it on the desk in front of Lois. After a quick glance around the nearly empty office to make sure none of the few remaining staff were paying them any heed, he shot a tiny burst of heat from his eyes and the candle flickered to life, its small flame dancing before Lois's mesmerized gaze. "A girl could get used to that," she murmured after a moment.
"I promise we'll get you something a little more substantial to eat later," Clark told Lois as he moved his chair around to the corner of her desk. "But for now, that'll at least keep your blood sugar up."
For a split second, her eyes shot up tinted in ire. But before the challenge fully formed in her gaze, her eyes softened and she smiled as Clark held her stare. Finally, she let out a small sigh. "I guess I should just be grateful the doc didn't put me on any caffeine restrictions."
"Now that," Clark dead-panned, "would have been a fate worse than death. For both of us."
Before Lois could form a properly stinging retort, her desk phone rang. She settled for a withering glare at Clark as she answered. "What've you got for us?" Lois asked after hearing her cousin's greeting. As Chloe informed her that she'd emailed several satellite images and other files to Lois's Planet account, Lois quirked her brow at Clark, quickly surmising that he was listening to both sides of the conversation. Just before turning her attention to her monitor, she caught a distinctly rosy tint warming Clark's cheeks as Chloe signed off with a parting shot bidding Lois good luck in keeping Clark grounded.
"So how long has Chloe known?" Lois asked, keeping her eyes glued to her computer screen as she pulled up the files Chloe had just sent.
"A while," Clark answered, slightly chagrin.
Lois glanced up just long enough to catch a glimpse of worry in Clark's eyes. "I figured as much," she told him as she focused again on the screen in front of her.
"Really?" She didn't see the mild surprise crinkling his eyes, but it was impossible to miss it in his voice.
"You two have been friends forever. I'd be more surprised if she hadn't known for ages. She's not stupid." Lois paused and turned to glare at Clark dead on. "And neither am I."
"I never thought you were," Clark returned gently. "I always knew that you were aware there was a lot more going on… especially with some of the lame excuses I've had to come up with on the spur of the moment."
Lois rolled her eyes and took a nice long swallow of the potent brew in the cardboard cup. "And Chloe has always been a little too eager to help you with those weak cover stories." She paused to turn a challenging stare on Clark. "Like the 'microburst' that blew your barn door half-way across Kansas to nearly pulverize me—what was that, anyway?"
"I sneezed."
Her eyes bulged wide. "Wow." A beep from her computer alerted Lois that the files had finished downloading. She tore her gaze from Clark to focus on the monitor as she opened the files. "These are all the buildings in and around Metropolis capable of housing this facility. The detailed schematics Chloe hacked were pretty specific in the requirements—size, materials, equipment, utilities, and a whole laundry list of other various resources," Lois informed Clark as she skimmed through said files. "She sent us a time table, too, outlining the schedule for setting up the facility and running through the entire procedure. And according to this, once they get the DNA, they'll have a perfectly viable adult human clone in… Oh, god. Three days."
Clark scanned through the files from over her shoulder with a frown. "I was hoping that Chloe would narrow the search a little more. There are still over a dozen buildings on that list."
Lois turned in her seat to face Clark more directly. "Well, can't you do your super-speed thing through all the buildings and search them with your x-ray vision gizmo?"
"Vision gizmo?" Clark repeated.
Lois cocked one brow up. "Well, what do you call it?"
Clark's frown deepened. "I don't know, but vision gizmo just doesn't sound very cool."
Lois enjoyed a healthy chuckle at that. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, Smallville, but you are always going to be a bit of a geek. No matter how many cool super powers you've got up your sleeve."
Clark huffed out a slightly self-defensive little chuckle of his own as he slowly shook his head. "You're not going to have any trouble keeping me grounded, are you?"
Lois flashed a supremely confident grin at Clark. "It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."
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